Kerala Couple Arrested for Extorting ₹30 Crore from Former Employer Using False Allegations
Kochi:
A couple from Kochi has been arrested by the Ernakulam Central Police for allegedly blackmailing and extorting ₹30 crore from the owner of an IT firm. The accused, identified as Krishna Raj and his wife Shweta Babu, are now in custody, and the case is under investigation.
According to police sources, Shweta, a former employee of the IT firm, resigned recently. Following her resignation, she and her husband allegedly concocted a plan to extort money by threatening to falsely accuse her former employer of having an extra-marital affair and sexually assaulting her.
The couple allegedly demanded ₹30 crore from the businessman, pressuring him to transfer ₹10 crore immediately and hand over two cheques of ₹10 crore each. During a meeting last week, the couple also threatened two other employees of the firm.
Initially, the businessman transferred ₹50,000 to their account and issued the cheques under duress. However, he later contacted the police, who devised a strategy to catch the duo. In a sting operation, authorities recovered the two signed cheques from the couple’s possession.
During preliminary questioning, the couple reportedly confessed to the crime. A police official confirmed, “The arrest has been recorded. The investigation is ongoing, and the accused will be produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.”
The police are also probing whether more individuals were involved in the extortion attempt.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
